Peril

by Joss Stirling

  ‘Got it. Just a quick wash then.’

  Meri felt much better having cleaned the dirt from the cuts. They had stopped bleeding so they couldn’t be very deep. If anything, her ankles hurt more from the jolt of her bad landing off the wall. If getting out of tight spots was going to become a habit, she’d have to put serious work into her escape techniques.

  When she came out, Kel had a cup of soup waiting for her, also thanks to the Salvation Army. For himself, he’d got a woolly hat from somewhere which he wore pulled down over his ears. He looked very adorable like that but this probably wasn’t the right moment to mention it.

  ‘When I get somewhere safe, I’ll have to send the Sally Army a donation,’ said Meri, taking a cautious sip of the vegetable broth. ‘OK, Ace, where next?’

  ‘What’s with the ace?’ he asked, drinking from his own paper cup.

  ‘Well, I figured it fitted as you were my ace in the hole back there at Ade’s house. I don’t think I could’ve sprung myself out of that room.’

  ‘Not even with U-Can?’

  ‘I’d’ve given it a go, but I think I wouldn’t have got as far as the window.’

  He smiled. ‘Not even with freestyle?’

  ‘Pretty cool, wasn’t it? You really should read the manual, Kel.’

  ‘I promise you, next time I will.’

  They started walking further into the park, no longer feeling the desperate hurry to flee. The more casual they looked the less attention they would attract.

  Now she had time, Meri let the confusing whirl of impressions from the trial land like a flock of starlings coming to roost for the evening. ‘I’m sorry about your family. I didn’t want you to have to choose between us.’

  ‘You had it right, Meri: it’s not you forcing me to do so; it’s them with their stubbornly old-fashioned view of the world.’

  ‘They might come round one day.’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not. The ball is in their court, isn’t it? I’m sorry about, well, you know, what my father did.’

  Meri threw her empty cup into a recycling bin. ‘I’m not sure what I think about that yet but I know it’s not your fault.’

  ‘Still, it’s a horrible connection: my father, your father. And your mother, my mother.’

  ‘Let's shelve it for now and work out how to make it out of London alive.’

  He put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Sadie will’ve sent a message to Big Ben by now. I asked her to do so because I was thinking the barge people were your best bet for getting out of London.’

  ‘Yours too. You can’t stay here now either.’

  ‘The Tean sympathizers didn’t seem so keen on helping me. If it’s a deal breaker, you have to go alone.’

  ‘Uh-uh, no way. Together or not at all.’

  Kel was avoiding her eyes. ‘We’ll see. Let’s get to them first. Have you got any money?’

  ‘No, nothing. They took my stuff including my ID when they caught me. Emma Boot is no more.’

  ‘So they know who you were pretending to be and can track you in the eco-service. That means the hostel is no longer safe.’

  Meri sighed. ‘Yes, I guess so. I made good friends there.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  She slipped her arm around his waist. ‘You don’t need to keep saying that. I know you are. I’m not so much sorry myself as monumentally pissed off.’

  ‘Me too now you come to mention it.’

  ‘They won't hurt Theo will they?’

  ‘With you out of the picture? I’d say not. They only took him as leverage. If you’re no longer here then it’s a useless lever and they’ll free him. I’ve got the downstairs guy cued to phone the police tomorrow if not.’

  ‘Mr Kingsley? That's sweet of him.’

  ‘He’ll follow through, I’m sure.’

  ‘I can’t imagine Theo and friends making very cooperative hostages.’ Meri tried to persuade herself they’d be fine. ‘They’ll get out one way or another.’

  Meri was beginning to feel tired. The adrenaline of escape had passed and her body was beginning to crash. ‘I’m sorry to be a wimp but can we have a rest? Once we leave the park, it might be easier to travel across the city after dark.’

  ‘You’re no wimp. It’s a good idea. It’s two now so it’ll be dark in a couple of hours. Let’s look for a spot where we can keep warm and see if anyone is approaching.’ He turned a slow circle. ‘What do you feel about that clump of trees over there?’

  ‘The one near the deer? Fine by me.’

  ‘Clear ground around it. Once the deer get used to us they’ll react to any newcomers and give us warning. If the Perilous bring dogs, it will confuse the scent.’

  ‘Dogs? Crap. I hadn’t considered that.’

  ‘Yeah well, you’ve never been the quarry in a manhunt before, have you?’

  ‘Actually, that’s the story of my life, Kel. It’s just never had a chapter involving bloodhounds.’

  They crossed the open grassland between them and the trees. The deer lifted their heads and ran a short way, but not putting much effort into it. Once Kel and Meri were settled by the foot of a fallen tree, the herd drifted back, heads lowered for the more important business of nosing out grass from under the snow.

  ‘It’s pretty here,’ said Meri, sitting with her back to Kel’s chest. They were sharing the warmth of poncho and coat. ‘You could imagine Henry the Eighth and his courtiers ride over the hill there on a deer hunt, feathers in caps and velvet cloaks flapping.’

  ‘That’s if you ignore the vapour trails from the planes headed for Heathrow and the roar of the traffic.’

  She squeezed his knee. ‘Imagination, Kel. You blank those things out.’

  ‘I think the deer prefer things as they are now. Protected, not chased to their death.’

  ‘I know how they feel.’

  He kissed the rim of her ear in sympathy, then stiffened. ‘Keep still, darling.’

  Obligingly, Meri froze. A black dot had appeared overhead. Not a bird of prey but a police surveillance drone doing a sweep of the park. ‘Good job this poncho is brown.’

  ‘I don’t think it can spot us unless it’s got infrared. Even then, the deer are our friends as the drone might just think we are part of the herd hunkered down here.’

  It buzzed twice overhead before carrying on towards the west.

  ‘Should we move?’ asked Meri.

  ‘I think your idea of doing the next stage after dark is a good one.’

  ‘And if the drone spotted us?’

  ‘I don’t think it did but I’ll keep watch. We’ll have plenty of warning of anyone approaching. You have a rest—sleep if you can.’

  And oddly enough, she did. Burrowed into the circle made by Kel’s arms around her, she felt safe enough to let go and sleep more soundly than she had managed whilst stuck down in Ade’s basement.

  It seemed only five minutes had passed when Kel shook her gently awake.

  ‘Sorry, darling, but we’d better get moving if we don’t want to climb the gates. They close them at dusk.’

  She yawned and stretched. ‘Any sign of the drone?’ The deer now moved like ghosts of themselves across the greying field.

  ‘No, it’s been very peaceful. Apart from your snoring, of course.’

  ‘I don’t snore—do I?’

  ‘You kind of whiffle and mutter.’

  ‘Great.’

  ‘It’s sweet.’

  ‘I’m glad you think so.’ She got up and turned to pull Kel to his feet.

  ‘I think my legs have gone dead. I didn’t dare move and wake Sleeping Beauty.’ He shook them vigorously.

  ‘Thank you for letting me rest. I hadn’t been sleeping well since I was caught. They kept a camera on me twenty four seven.’

  Moving quickly now, they made it to the gates as the park warden was closing them.

  ‘Cut that a bit fine, didn’t you?’ the lady asked, padlocking the exit.

  ‘Are we the last?’ asked Kel.

 
; ‘I should certainly hope so. Just turned away a bunch of people looking for a lost dog—very insistent they had to go in, they were. I told them that they’d have to come back tomorrow. Rules are rules.’

  That didn’t sound good.

  ‘Oh? Did you see which way they went?’

  ‘Have you seen their dog then?’

  ‘Might’ve. I think it got through the boundary along there.’ Kel pointed to the east. ‘Probably making its own way home.’

  ‘That’s usually the case: dogs have more sense than their owners. Still, if you’ve a mind to be helpful, the people went towards Richmond town centre. If you hurry you’ll be able to catch up with them. There was a woman and two young men of about your age. She was wearing a red coat, but I don’t remember how the others were dressed.’

  ‘Thanks. We’ll go and look for them.’

  Once they were out of earshot, Kel said: ‘My sister has a red coat.’

  ‘Yeah, I remember. She was wearing it at New Year.’

  ‘It might not be her.’

  ‘But it might.’

  ‘They’ll have to spread themselves quite thinly to search all the areas we might’ve reached by now. And stopping for a rest has probably upset their calculations.’

  ‘You mean they might think we are further on than we are?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘So what do we do?’

  ‘Jenny knows I usually travel on the Underground. I think they’ll go there first, maybe even leave someone to watch the station. We should try the river bus.’

  ‘Right. And where do we catch that?’

  ‘By the bridge.’

  Making their way through suburban streets rather than taking the more direct route along the main roads, they reached Richmond bridge without incident. The houses on the far side were dark, abandoned to the frequent flooding on this bend of the north bank. An impromptu settlement of houseboats had sprung up in what used to be the back gardens of the terraced streets. On the south bank a busy river bus stop flourished, this time of day at the height of its business of ferrying school children home and returning workers from the city downstream.

  Kel rubbed at the back of his neck, uneasy. ‘I don’t know what’s triggering them, but my instincts are going crazy. I think we should watch for a while, see if there is anyone on lookout.’

  ‘Bus shelter?’

  They took cover in the shelter for the road bus service, balancing on the revolving perches put in there in place of proper seats to deter the homeless. Being without a home herself, that struck Meri as an unnecessary cruelty. What harm would it do to give someone a bed off the ground for the night? She and Kel might need one later.

  The line of uniformed children spooled like maroon thread onto the bobbin, embarking on the boat going upstream. The boat tooted that it was departing and engines revved. Once that had cleared, they had a better view of the stubby water bus pier. A few people were queuing for the boat that would take them into the city centre, the service that Kel and Meri would catch if judged safe.

  ‘It looks OK. There’s no one I recognize,’ said Kel.

  ‘I don’t know if your nerves are affecting me, but now I’m not sure,’ admitted Meri. ‘Can we go a bit closer?’

  ‘Let’s go singly, me first, then you. If anyone is watching, they’ll be looking hardest at couples.’ He dug in his pocket. ‘Here's some money for your fare.’

  ‘Thanks. Be careful.’

  Kel sauntered towards the ticket office. The attendant, a smiley woman with short grey hair, was standing outside chatting with her regulars. Kel struck up a conversation as he bought a ticket. Fingers cold, he dropped a couple of coins as he tried to give her the exact change and they both reached down to get them. That was when Meri saw the ticket attendant’s arm above the wrist.

  Don’t panic. Play it cool, she told herself.

  Jogging up to Kel, Meri tapped him on the shoulder, trying to keep out of view of the woman. ‘Hey, Bernard, you forgot your dental appointment, you dope.’

  ‘What? Oh, yeah.’

  ‘Mum sent me to catch up with you. You’ll have to take a later service.’

  ‘Right, OK. See you later.’ Kel pocketed the ticket and followed Meri off the wooden planks of the pier to the pavement. ‘What was that about?’

  ‘She’s one of you.’ Meri kept walking, hood pulled forward as far as it would go. ‘Not sure which, maybe a leaf, but definitely Perilous markings above the wrist.’

  Kel swore. ‘Do you think she was on the lookout for us?’

  ‘I don’t know. She didn’t seem to recognize you, her markings weren’t flaring. You would know your procedures better than me.’

  ‘There’s an alert process that gets rolled out by text but she might not have checked that if she’s been at work all afternoon. Still, someone might think to get in touch and ask her if she’s seen us if we appear to have shaken them.’

  ‘We can’t go back there.’

  ‘No, too risky.’

  In agreement, they carried on over the bridge. The water bus that they had intended to catch pulled up at the pier and then beetled off down the river. No point regretting such an easy exit, thought Meri. Nothing about running from the Perilous was destined to be easy.

  Reaching the north bank, Meri’s eye was caught by the encampment of houseboats. ‘I wonder….’

  ‘You wonder what?’

  ‘Francis Frobisher said the river people were often Tean Sympathizers. Let’s look for signs of peril.’

  Kel smiled at the pun. ‘That’s us: go looking for danger. But seeing peril is your deal, Meri, rather than mine. I’ll watch your back.’

  They turned off the main road and into the improvised marina. Where the road dipped below river level, wooden boards had been laid together to make a snaking pathway, narrow and in places slippy with silt. Homemade signs announced they were entering the Boat People’s Community of Cambridge Gardens. Venture on at own risk. The sign ended with a stick man dropping into the river with a splash.

  ‘Not exactly encouraging visitors, are they?’ muttered Meri. Rounding one large rusty iron boat, an ancient coal barge by the looks of it, she found what she had been searching for: a Thames pleasure craft converted into a houseboat, peril-coloured stained glass in the windows. If there had been more light, she guessed that the bunting stretching from stem to stern was the same colour but for now it flapped a dull grey in the darkness. ‘I think this is it: the Tean sympathizers headquarters in this community.’

  Kel didn’t waste time asking if she was sure. ‘You’d best go first. Experience suggests they won’t take kindly to me.’

  Meri approached the gangway unclear of the protocol of making a call on a boat. ‘Hello? Anyone home?’

  A radio burbled inside, local news reporting an altercation at the golf club on Wimbledon Common. The DJ was cracking a joke about a man who had been arrested for taking a swipe with a nine iron at a foreign visitor in a misunderstanding about a set of clubs.

  ‘Try again,’ urged Kel.

  Meri got a little bolder, going up the gangway and tapping on the folding doors that led into the main cabin of the houseboat. The radio shut off and after a longish pause an elderly lady appeared in the doorway, dressed in a flowered overall and suede slippers, hair like a scanty serving of white candy-floss.

  ‘No, thank you,’ she said smartly, shutting the door again.

  Meri rapped again, determined not to be turned away without a proper conversation. ‘Please, we don’t want to sell you anything. Tea and Sympathy: does this mean anything to you?’

  The woman cracked the door open and peeked out. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’

  ‘We need help. I can see peril in your stained glass.’

  The woman sucked in a breath. ‘Show me your arm.’

  Meri obligingly bared her forearm. ‘Can we come in? The Perilous are chasing us and we need to get to the Frobishers down at St Katherine’s dock. They can vouch for us.’

>   Reluctantly the woman stepped back and opened the door the whole way. ‘Come in then. Who’s the other one?’

  ‘My boyfriend. Please, let me explain inside.’

  Meri felt a huge sense of relief once she was between four walls again. Kel followed but remained standing by the exit, uncertain of his welcome. Meri hated that he never felt at ease with her kind, but there were more urgent matters to sort out right now.

  The houseboat had many windows, showing its origin as a floating restaurant taking tourists on pleasure cruises from Richmond to Windsor. Tables and chairs had long since been removed and the cabin converted to a comfortable sitting room decked out in white and blue. A seagull painted on a bleached board hung over the entrance, giving the vessel its name: Gull’s Nest.

  ‘What are you called, lass, and what’s Tea and Sympathy got to do with you?’ asked the old lady. She pointed to a window seat, inviting Meri to sit down. ‘I don’t recognize you from the meetings.’

  ‘I’m Meredith Marlowe. He’s Kel Douglas. Do you know how to get in touch with the Frobishers? It would be quickest to ask them, or Big Ben. Just tell them you have Meri and Kel here and we need help.’

  ‘Don’t hold with phones.’ The woman pulled some yellow curtains over the windows on the land side of the boat. ‘Arm of the state, they are, pinning us all like beetles to specimen cards. Francis writes to me if he needs my opinion on something.’

  ‘Are you the captain of this settlement then?’ asked Kel.

  ‘You know about that, do you? Yes, I am. Mary Magellan, though everyone round here calls me Ma.’

  ‘Has Francis written to you recently?’ asked Meri.

  The lady went to a pile of unopened post on a ledge in her little kitchenette. ‘Been away at my daughter’s for a few days. Haven’t got to this yet.’ She leafed through. ‘Why, yes he has.’ With painfully slow ceremony, she opened the envelope with a knife, put on her glasses and read the contents. ‘Oh my goodness: it’s marked urgent.’ Her gaze went first to Meri then with more doubt to Kel. ‘Is this about you? The last Tean and her unsuitable choice of friend?’

  ‘I don’t know about unsuitable but will you help us?’